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1 – 10 of 25María José Quero, Montserrat Díaz-Méndez, Rafael Ventura and Evert Gummesson
This paper explores whether, in the context of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, new innovation strategies can be developed through actors' interactions, the exchange of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores whether, in the context of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, new innovation strategies can be developed through actors' interactions, the exchange of resources and the co-creation of value for and within the system. In the context of the U–I relationship, the innovation perspective can highlight the need to develop strategies that elicit new formulas of value co-creation, which then facilitate innovation as a result of actor collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 45 public universities in Spain, representing 95% of the total, participated in qualitative research. Personal in-depth interviews with technology transfer officers (TTOs) were conducted by an external firm; in a second phase, two of the researchers conducted eight interviews with the directors of TTOs in those universities with higher rates of transfer.
Findings
Findings reveal that enterprises with a technological focus are strengthening their relationships with universities and attempting to build a university business ecosystem by designing strategies for value co-creation such as co-ownership, co-patenting, and co-invention.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical research is conducted in Spain, and results should be interpreted according to this context. Future research should examine new contexts (other countries) to improve the robustness of the data and enrich the results, thus enabling generalization of the management consequences.
Originality/value
The results provide a means to design strategies under a new collaborative and innovating logic. The theoretical framework contributes to theory, with implications for management.
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Goitom Abera Baisa, Joachim G. Schäfer and Abebe Ejigu Alemu
This study aims to synthesize and analyze research on the Supply Chain Management Practices (SCMPs)-performance nexus, examine current knowledge, identify emerging trends, and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to synthesize and analyze research on the Supply Chain Management Practices (SCMPs)-performance nexus, examine current knowledge, identify emerging trends, and provide plausible suggestions for future research engagements in the manufacturing sector in the context of Developing and Emerging Economies (DEEs).
Design/methodology/approach
Following a systematic review approach, this study analyzed 20 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles published between 2007 and 2021. The study sample was systematically selected from the Web of Science (WoS) and Google Scholar databases, following strict evaluation and selection criteria.
Findings
Numerous dimensions of SCMPs have been considered in the extant literature; however, six have stood out as the most common. In addition, operational performance stood out as the most widely investigated measure in the SCM literature. Moreover, SCMPs have predominantly shown positive effects on performance outcomes. Methodological issues that future studies should consider are suggested.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size was not sufficiently large relative to the rule of thumb set in the literature because of the scarcity of studies in the manufacturing sector in the DEEs context. Despite these limitations, the results of this study provide crucial insights into knowledge and practice.
Originality/value
This review is the first of its kind to examine the SCMPs-performance nexus in the context of DEEs. Based on the findings of this study, future research directions are proposed.
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Torgeir Aadland, Gustav Hägg, Mats A. Lundqvist, Martin Stockhaus and Karen Williams Middleton
To increase the understanding of how entrepreneurship education impacts entrepreneurial careers, the purpose of the paper is to investigate the role that a venture creation…
Abstract
Purpose
To increase the understanding of how entrepreneurship education impacts entrepreneurial careers, the purpose of the paper is to investigate the role that a venture creation program (VCP) might have in mitigating or surpassing a lack of other antecedents of entrepreneurial careers. In particular, the authors focus on entrepreneurial pedigree and prior entrepreneurial experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from graduates of VCPs at three universities in Northern Europe were collected through an online survey. Questions addressed graduate background prior to education, yearly occupational employment subsequent to graduation and graduates' own perceptions of entrepreneurial activity in employment positions. The survey was sent to 1,326 graduates and received 692 responses (52.2% response rate).
Findings
The type of VCP, either independent (Ind-VCP) or corporate venture creation (Corp-VCP), influenced the mitigation of prior entrepreneurial experience. Prior entrepreneurial experience, together with Ind-VCP, made a career as self-employed more likely. However, this was not the case for Corp-VCP in subsequently choosing intrapreneurial careers. Entrepreneurial pedigree had no significant effect on career choice other than for hybrid careers.
Research limitations/implications
Entrepreneurial experience gained from VCPs seems to influence graduates toward future entrepreneurial careers. Evidence supports the conclusion that many VCP graduates who lack prior entrepreneurial experience or entrepreneurial pedigree can develop sufficient entrepreneurial competencies through the program.
Originality/value
This study offers novel evidence that entrepreneurship education can compensate for a lack of prior entrepreneurial experience and exposure for students preparing for entrepreneurial careers.
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In our societal context, the neoliberal competitive and knowledge-oriented culture still exerts a stranglehold on teachers' sense of professional autonomy giving rise to a deficit…
Abstract
In our societal context, the neoliberal competitive and knowledge-oriented culture still exerts a stranglehold on teachers' sense of professional autonomy giving rise to a deficit image of them as ‘excessively entitled’. The purpose of this chapter is to eschew this deficit view of teachers by bringing their agentive side to the fore. First, it explores the concept of ‘excessive teacher entitlement’ in terms of the prevalent characteristics of the culture of teaching in schools and the nature of authority wielded by teachers in this culture and its negative consequence on student learning using an excerpt from an English as Second Language (ESL) classroom in India where this study is set. This episode helps expose the teacher's unawareness of the gaps between their intention and action, a hallmark of excessive entitlement. Second, it juxtaposes an alternative image of ‘teacher as researcher’ to foreground teachers' ‘transformative activist stance’ which revolves around their ideological becoming in agentively striving to realise their ‘best-loved self’. Framed within Vygotskian Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, the principle of ‘double stimulation’ provides a powerful analytical lens to unpack the complex discursive dynamics of their practice nested within historically developing contradictions. These contradictions work tacitly to drive a wedge between teachers' intentions and action making them feel excessively entitled to passively acquiesce with the existing order of things. This study provides some signposts for teacher education about creating an environment where teachers can reclaim their transformative agency freeing themselves from the ‘excessive entitlement’ that binds their practice to the status quo and diminishes their relationships with students.
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Jari Huikku, Elaine Harris, Moataz Elmassri and Deryl Northcott
This study aims to explore how managers exercise agency in strategic investment decisions (SIDs) by drawing on their knowledgeability of the strategic context. Specifically, the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how managers exercise agency in strategic investment decisions (SIDs) by drawing on their knowledgeability of the strategic context. Specifically, the authors address the role of position–practice relations and irresistible causal forces in this conduct.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors examine SID-making (SIDM) practices in four case organisations operating in highly competitive markets, conducting interviews with managers at various levels and analysing company documents. Drawing on strong structuration theory, the authors show how managerial decision makers draw upon their knowledge of organisational context when exercising agency in SIDs.
Findings
The authors provide insights into how SIDM behaviour, specifically agents’ conduct, is shaped by a combination of position–practice relations and the agents’ comprehension of their organisation’s context.
Research limitations/implications
The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice.
Originality/value
The authors extend the SIDM literature by surfacing the issue of how actors’ conjuncturally-specific knowledge of external structures shapes the general dispositions they draw on in exercising agency in practice. Particularly, the authors contribute to this literature by identifying irresistible causal forces and illuminating why actors might not resist in SIDM processes, despite having the potential to do so.
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Azmat Islam, Muhammad Ajmal and Zeenat Islam
The purpose of this study is to investigate how social capital resources (SCRs), proactive personality and perceived organizational support (POS) influence work engagement during…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate how social capital resources (SCRs), proactive personality and perceived organizational support (POS) influence work engagement during the organizational socialization process through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT).
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing upon a sample of newly hired employees from diverse industries, data was collected using self-report measures. A total of 619 respondents’ data were qualified for analysis. Regression analysis and structural equation modeling with the bootstrap method were used for hypothesis testing.
Findings
Results indicate that newcomers who used effective organizational socialization tactics (OSTs) experienced higher levels of work engagement. Moreover, SCRs were crucial in shaping the relationship between OSTs and work engagement. Specifically, newcomers with greater SCRs exhibited increased work engagement, enhancing effective OSTs’ positive impact. Furthermore, proactive personality and POS traits moderate the relationship between SCRs and work engagement. Newcomers with a proactive personality were more likely to leverage their SCRs, leading to higher work engagement effectively.
Practical implications
This study underscores the importance of promoting social connections, organizational support, proactivity and positive relationships to enhance employee work engagement and overall well-being in the Pakistani context.
Originality/value
This study examines how SCRs, proactive personality and POS influence work engagement during organizational socialization, a novel area in newcomer adjustment. It highlights the importance of strategic socialization and targeted onboarding programs that enhance SCRs and proactive personalities. By integrating SDT with the cultural context of Pakistani organizations, it offers unique insights for improving newcomer adjustment and engagement.
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Organizations remain a vital sociological topic, but organizational sociology, as a subfield, has evolved significantly since its inception. In this paper, I argue that…
Abstract
Organizations remain a vital sociological topic, but organizational sociology, as a subfield, has evolved significantly since its inception. In this paper, I argue that organization sociology is becoming increasingly disconnected from organizational theory, as currently conceived. The focus of sociological research on organizations has become more empirically grounded in the study of social problems and how organizations contribute to them. Sociologists continue to see organizations as important actors in society that play a role in shaping social order and as contexts in which social processes play out. I propose two main sociological approaches for organizational research, which I describe as “organizations within society” and “society within organizations.” The first approach examines the role of organizations as building blocks of social structure and as social actors in their own right. The second approach treats organizations as platforms and locations of social interactions and the building of community. These approaches are somewhat disconnected from the sort of grand theorizing that characterizes much of organizational theory. I argue that the problem-oriented sociology of these two approaches offers a vital way for organizational scholars to expand and theoretically revitalize the field.
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Conor Shaw, Flávia de Andrade Pereira, Karim Farghaly, Cathal Hoare, Timo Hartmann and James O'Donnell
This research demonstrates the theoretical merit of a reference architecture-based approach to life cycle cost (LCC) analysis system provision in the built environment. LCC…
Abstract
Purpose
This research demonstrates the theoretical merit of a reference architecture-based approach to life cycle cost (LCC) analysis system provision in the built environment. LCC insight is considered fundamental to sustainable decision making by asset managers; however, the current capabilities in practice do not align with the political ambition and the scale of competencies required to realise sectoral emissions–reduction targets.
Design/methodology/approach
In pursuing practical outcomes, the study employs a custom design science research-inspired methodology. Domain requirements are gathered via literature research as an initial top-down software reference architecture which is refined, bottom-up, through testing and implementation in a representative case study. A prototype IT system and reference architecture artefact are developed and used to evaluate the concept qualitatively through broad practitioner focus groups.
Findings
Sentiment analysis of the expert opinions is broadly positive and helps to substantiate the proposal’s theoretical suitability in addressing the scalability challenge. Additionally, constructive feedback provides guidance towards this trajectory, highlighting the importance of aligning with existing communities and standards, broadening future research scope to consider further scenarios and prioritisation of efforts to build trust around contracts and data quality.
Originality/value
The novelty of the work is the provision of the reusable LCC reference architecture development methodology.
Practical implications
The concept has the potential to provide LCC capabilities to industry at scale while the artefacts developed herein can be appended to existing LCC standards as implementation guidance to support IT system developers. Furthermore, the developed methodology can be employed in harmonisation efforts between policy and practice.
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Francesco Aiello, Paola Cardamone, Lidia Mannarino and Valeria Pupo
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how inter-firm cooperation and firm age moderate the relationship between family ownership and productivity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how inter-firm cooperation and firm age moderate the relationship between family ownership and productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
We first estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of a large sample of Italian firms observed over the period 2010–2018 and then apply a Poisson random effects model.
Findings
TFP is, on average, higher for non-family firms (non-FFs) than for FF. Furthermore, inter-organizational cooperation and firm age mitigate the negative effect of family ownership. In detail, it is found that belonging to a network acts as a moderator in different ways according to firm age. Indeed, young FFs underperform non-FF peers, although the TFP gap decreases with age. In contrast, the benefits of a formal network are high for older FFs, suggesting that an age-related learning process is at work.
Practical implications
The study provides evidence that FFs can outperform non-FFs when they move away from Socio-Emotional Wealth-centered reference points and exploit knowledge flows arising from high levels of social capital. In the case of mature FFs, networking is a driver of TFP, allowing them to acquire external resources. Since FFs often do not have sufficient in-house knowledge and resources, they must be aware of the value of business cooperation. While preserving the familiar identity of small companies, networks grant FFs the competitive and scale advantages of being large.
Originality/value
Despite the wide but ambiguous body of research on the performance gap between FFs and non-FFs, little is known about the role of FFs’ heterogeneity. This study has proven successful in detecting age as a factor in heterogeneity, specifically to explain the network effect on the link between ownership and TFP. Based on a representative sample, the study provides a solid framework for FFs, policymakers and academic research on family-owned companies.
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